Method of and machine for making wire-glass.



R. A. B. WALSH.

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2, 1907.

Patented Nov. 23, i909.

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-EOEERT A. B. WALSH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO MISSISSIPPIGLASS COM- PANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPOBATION'OF MISSOURI.

IVIETHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE-GLASS.

access,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

original application filed May 22, 1907, Serial No. 375,112. Divided andthis application filed. December 2,

1907. Serial No. 494,847.

110 all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, Bonner A..B. WALSH, citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Methods of. and Machines for Making Vile-Glass, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and

exact description, such as will enable others surfaces, the wire of saidsheet retaining its original bright and new appearanceafter it has beenembedded in the glass.

In the manufacture of wire glass the tend cncy oi the wire is tocontract and draw the glass so as to produce an uneven or an irregularsurface. It has been proposed, see for illustration the patent to\Valsli, No. 610,593, dated September 13, 1898, to cure theseirregularities by smoothing them down by a lini. ing roller; but thiscannot always be successfully accomplished, because, while the finishingroller acts upon the elevations, it will not perfectly transferthesurplus glass to the depressions and make a perfect weld. It has alsobeen proposed, see for illustration the Schmcrtz reissue patent No.12.443, dated January 30, 1906, to press the wire mesh into the topsurface of a first formed sheet or layer of glass and then spread afinishing layer or sheet of molten glass thcrcovcr. This method producesa etter and smoother finish to the top surface of the sheet than the\Valsh method firstmcntioned. In both of these methods, the

wire, on account of its exposure to atmos phere after being heated,loses its bright and new appearance and looks black in the finishedsheet. In the Schmcrtz method the weld between the. two layers occursprincipally in the plane of the wire, andas the wire is at places leftfree to draw this useful I action is sometimes observed on the surfaceof the second layer.

Briefly stated, my method consists in forming a sheet of glass by firstrolling a bottom layer or sheet and drawing a wire mesh into said sheetso that it is completely covered oo and thereafter spreading a mass ofmolten glass over the upper surface of said bottom layer or sheet toform a finishing coating therefor. The wire mesh is drawn into the glassor caused to out its way into the glass by means of tension rolls at thesometime the bottom layer or sheet is being formed so that in its heatedcondition the Wire mesh will not be exposed to atmosphere and will, ,1accordingly preserve'its bright and new appearance in the glass.

It is obvious that my invention is not limited to a single type ofmachine but may, be embodied in dilf'erent forms of apparatus. l haveshown two of these forms" in the accompanying drawingsland will firstrefer to that shown in Fig, lwhichncoinprises a table 1 having a smoothsurface roller 2 arranged abovethe upper surface thereof and adapted tocooperate with the table to form a mass of molten glass into a bottomlayer or sheet, and a smooth surface roller 3 arranged above the tableat a. distance equal to the thickness of the finished product andadapted to spread a mass of molten glass over the upper surface of thebottom layer to form a finishing coating therefor.

The means for causing the wire mesh to cutits way into the mass ofmolten glass consists of a pair of tension rolls at between which thewire mesh passes and a guide roll 5 located in front of the roller 2.

1n practicing my invention with apparatus of this description, a mass ofmolten glass 6 is dumped onto the table at the rear side of the roller 2and a wire mesh 7 is interposed between this mass of molten glass andthe roller 2, the wire mesh passing from the tension rolls under theguide roll 5, as shown in Fig. 1. The wire mesh is drawn taut and thetable 1 is then moved in the direction of the arrow in Ifig. 1, thuscansing the roller .Z-to form the mass of molten glass 6 into a bottomlayer 8, into the upper; 10b

the roller 3 a second mass of molten glass 9 .--is dumped onto thebottom layer at the rear of the roller 3 and as the table continues tomove forwardly in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 the roller 3 willspread this mass of molten glass 9 over the upper surface of the bottomlayer 8 to form a finishing coating or layer 10 of molten glass the Wiremesh is drawn into the bottom layer at the same time said layer isformed the wiremesh will be completely covered by glass and thus beprevented from oxidizing -as' would be apt to occur if it was exposed tothe air while in its heated condition from contact withthe moltenglass.

The tendency of the Wire to draw the lass in contracting and produce anirregufar or uneven surface on the first formed layer or sheet iscorrected by the finishing layer which not only fills in the unevennessin the first formed sheet or layer but said finishing layer more readilypartakes of and retains the smooth and even surface imparted by thesmooth surface roller 3.

Instead of forming the bottom layer 8 by means of the table and thesmooth surface roller 2, said bottom layer may be formed by means of apair of rollers 2 and 2 as in the I apparatus shown in Fig. 2-, the wirenesh passing through a pair of tension rolls a which arefso locatedrelatively to the roller 2 that the wire mesh Wlll out its way. into themass of molten glass tl and thus be completely embedded.

This a plication is a division of an application filled me May 22, 1907,serially numbered 375,112.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for forming vire glass, comprising means for forming asheet or layerof glass, means for drawing a wire mesh into said layer orsheet so that it is tconipletely covered, and means for spread-' 'ing afinishing coating or layer of glass over the first-formed'sheet;substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for making wire glass, comprising means for forming asheet or layer ofglass, tension devices for drawing a wire mesh into onesurface of said sheet, and means forvspreading a mass of molten glassover said surface to form a finishing -'coating for the sheet or layer;substantially .as described.

3. An apparatus for making wire glass, comprising means for rolling asheet or layer ceases of glass, tension devices for causing a wiremeshto cut its way into said sheet so that it is completely embedded at thesame time said sheet is being formed, and means for spreading a mass ofmolten glass over the surface of said sheet into which the..wire

mesh is drawn to form a finishing coating for said sheet; substantiallyas described.

l. An apparatus for making wire glass, comprising means for forming alayer or sheet of glass, tension devices for drawin the wire mesh intothe upper surface of said sheet so that it is completely covered, andmeans for spreading a mass of molten glass over the upper surface ofsaid sheet to form a finishing coating therefor; substantially asdescribed.

5. T he method of making wire glass, which consists in forming a mass ofmolten glass into a layer and drawing a wire mesh beneath one surfacethereof so that it is completely covered, and thereafter covering thatsurface of the layer with a mass of molten glass to produce a finishedsheet; substantially as described.

5. The method 'of making wire glass,

which consists in rolling a mass of molten glass over the upper surfaceof said sheet to form a finishing layer therefor; substantially asdescribed.

7. The method of making wire glass, which consists in rolling a mass ofmolten glass into a layer or sheet and drawing a wire mesh into theupper surface of said sheet so that it is completely covered, andthereafter spreading a mass of molten glass over the upper surface ofsaid sheet and rolling it to produce a finishing coating for the sheetin which the wire mesh is embedded; substantially as described.

8. The method of making wire glass which consists in rolling a mass ofmolten glass into a layer and drawing a wire nesh beneath one surfacethereof so that'it is completely covered, and thereafter covering thatsurface of the layer with a mass of molten glass and rolling the same toproduce a finished sheet before the first mentioned sheet is entirelyformed.

In testimony w iereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses, this twenty sixth day of November 1907.

F. R. -CORNWALL, Gsonon BAKEWELL.

